The San Francisco 49ers dealt with a handful of injuries on Saturday against the Denver Broncos, and we are starting to get updates. The team announced to the beat writers that linebacker Nick Bellore suffered a knee sprain that will not require surgery.
When we hear knee sprain during or immediately after a game, it sometimes ends up as a notable ligament tear. A sprain inherently involves some tearing of a ligament, but given that we are two days removed from the game, this would seem to be a little more low key than something that would cost him the year.
Bellore had gotten off to a strong start in the preseason. He had his usual allotment of special teams snaps, but he was looking really good as an inside linebacker. He has not been an ILB option in the regular season, but his performance thus far could mean he provides some insurance at the position.
The question now is how quickly Bellore can get back. Because he was practicing and playing, he cannot be placed on the PUP list. If he is on the roster and not ready for Week 1, the team would either make him one of their game-day inactives, or they would have to place him on injured reserve. The NFL allows for one player to be brought back from IR without a previous designation. My guess is with a sprain and not a full tear, they would not place him on IR. But we’ll have to wait and see what updates we get in the coming weeks.